WCHA Power Rankings: On the Road Again Edition

It wasn’t the best weekend for the Falcon icers. On Friday they managed to pull out a tie, despite being down two goals in the third period. On Saturday BG would score less than a minute into the game and not find the net again. But, despite the struggle Bowling Green still finds themselves just two points behind WCHA leader Minnesota State. Oh, and they’ll play Minnesota State this weekend in Mankato.

Todd, Kevin, and myself will be making the trip out to Mankato, and are looking forward to crossing another WCHA rink off our list. If any fans or families want to meet up we’d love to see some friendly faces this weekend. Let us know!

On to the rankings!

Michigan Tech: The Huskies seem to be getting hot at just the right time. MTU handed Bowling Green their first WCHA home loss of the season in a three-point weekend. The Huskies will welcome a struggling Lake Superior squad this weekend in a UP battle.

Minnesota State: The Mavs finished in third place in last weekend’s North Star College Cup; losing Saturday to an excellent St. Cloud team before beating the Golden Gophers Sunday. I fully expect this weekend to be a slugfest as Minnesota State welcomes Bowling Green. It’ll be a battle for the WCHA lead as the Mavs hold a two-point lead.

Bowling Green: We already went over what happened last weekend, so there’s really no reason to re-hash it. But, BG’s excellent play in the first half of the season has them in position to make a run at the WCHA lead this weekend. Just two points back, the Falcons could take the lead with a three-point weekend. But, the Mavs are 9-4-0 at home this season.

Ferris State: The Bulldogs enjoyed a weekend off, but have a long road trip to Fairbanks this weekend. The Bulldogs seem to have one of the clearer paths to a home playoff series with a four point lead over the #5 spot. But, the WCHA has been anything but predictable this season.

Bemidji State: The Beavers weren’t able to defend their North Star title, but you can’t fault them for coming up in second place to St. Cloud. BSU will enjoy the next week-plus off before making up a previously postponed game with Minnesota-Duluth next Tuesday.

Northern Michigan: I previously thought NMU could be a black horse candidate for the fourth home playoff spot. With only one long road trip left, the Wildcats seemed to have the best path for home-hockey. But, they’ll need to handle UAA with a sweep this weekend to keep that dream alive.

Alaska-Anchorage: The Seawolves are walking a very fine line as they’re just two points away from missing the playoffs. Only picking up a split against last-place UAH wasn’t much help to a precarious situation. A tough road trip welcomes UAA as they had to Northern Michigan.

Lake Superior: LSSU was off this past weekend coming off a demoralizing weekend in Mankato. The Lakers will head west to Houghton to face Michigan Tech. While I don’t see the Lakers going home with any points, the Falcons will certainly be happy if they do.

Alaska: The Nanooks traveled to Madison this past weekend to face a Wisconsin squad which is frankly not very good. UAF were swept, however, and seem to not have any momentum going into a very tough stretch with games against Ferris State, Bowling Green, and Michigan Tech. They’ll welcome Ferris State this weekend to the Carlson center.

Alabama-Huntsville: The Chargers managed to pull out a split in Anchorage this past weekend. While two points in Alaska is nothing to scoff at, UAH is still five points out of a playoff spot. The Chargers will need to play the best hockey of their lives over the last month-and-a-half, and even then they might need help.

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About Drew Evans

Drew is a co-founder and the editor for BGSUHockey.com. When he's not in the press box he makes (legal) drugs at a northwest Ohio compounding pharmacy. Drew is entering his eighth season covering Falcon hockey and has been a fan of the program since his time as a student beginning in 2003. He can be reached on Twitter @BGSUHockeySite and by e-mail at Drew@bgsuhockey.com.

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